Mavericks Take Steps in the Right Direction
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Paul Flowers |
2007-08 Mercy Men's Basketball Season Review
DOBBS FERRY, NY - The Mercy College men's basketball team was met with many obstacles this past season, but was able to overcome, make adjustments and improve upon the previous season. The Mavericks missed the conference tournament by just one game and have given a glimpse of things to come for the future.
First-year head coach Tony Staffiere brought an up tempo style of play to Mercy College that his student-athletes fed off of and took to right away.
"I was impressed at our players' ability to pick-up our offensive system. When you run an open post offense, there are very few safety nets," Staffiere said. "You must shoot well from beyond the three-point line, get to the foul line, and create mismatches off the dribble. I think our guys did a great job of neutralizing our size deficiency by beating defenders to the basket and knocking down enough three-point shots to keep us in most games."
The season started off by dropping three tough non-conference games to St. Michael's, Franklin Pierce and Nyack. The Mavericks got into the win column the following week when they played conference opponent Queens. Mercy had three players score 20 or more points, including a double-double from junior guard Michael Marin (Flushing, NY) with 23 points and 12 boards.
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Chanze Wellington |
The Mavericks ran into some trouble against New Haven, but rebounded with a thrilling victory against Dowling. Marin was once again the star as he drained a 16-foot jumper as time expired to give the Mavericks the victory.
Marin made major strides in improving his game throughout the season. He averaged 10.9 points per game and was second on the team in three-pointers made (39).
Mercy fell in the next four outings, but rediscovered its winning ways against non-conference opponent St. Anselm. Senior guard Chanze Wellington (Spring Valley, NY) led the way with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from downtown.
After falling to Southern New Hampshire, the Mavericks regrouped and picked up a one-point victory against Adelphi. Marin hit a pair of free throws to put the Mavericks up for good with only four seconds remaining. Sophomore guard Vince Jordan (Spring Valley, NY) led the Mavericks in with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
The Mavericks were unable to ride the momentum as they dropped the next four games against Molloy, St. Thomas Aquinas, C.W. Post and Bridgeport. Mercy then hosted Queens in the next game and with a dominating second half got back into the win column. Senior guard Paul Flowers (New York, NY) notched a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.
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Michael Marin |
With another win under their belts the Mavericks were ready and prepared to take on New Haven in what would be the most exciting home game of the season. With the contest already in double overtime, New Haven was trailing by one point and had the ball with just seconds remaining. After a missed free throw by Mercy, New Haven pushed the ball up court and missed a lay-up. The Chargers were able to get the rebound but could not get their shot off before time had expired. The home fans went into a frenzy as New Haven walked off in disbelief. Marin was the leading scorer with 20 points. Flowers recorded another double-double with 19 points, 13 boards and seven steals.
The Mavericks cooled off with losses to Dowling, Concordia and NYIT, but built up another winning stretch against Adelphi and Molloy. For the first time in program history the Mavericks swept the season series against Adelphi and beat the Panthers on their home court. Wellington led Mercy with 19 points and shot 7-for-8 from the floor.
Staffiere started his four seniors - Wellington, Flowers, Keiron Guy (Brooklyn, NY) and Victor Sidberry (Bronx, NY) - and all four delivered against Molloy on Senior Day. Wellington scored a team-high with 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Flowers registered 18 points and six rebounds and Guy was 7-of-10 from the floor for 18 points. Sidberry scored seven of the first nine points for the Mavericks to get them rolling early.
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Keiron Guy |
The Mavericks dropped the final three games of the season on the road, including a strong effort against eventual conference champion C.W. Post. The Mavericks held the Pioneers to their lowest point total of the season (58), but came up short. Mercy finished the season with an overall record of 8-19 and 7-13 in East Coast Conference (ECC) play.
Wellington led the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game and in assists with 2.7 per game. He was also 18th in the nation in three-point percentage at 44 percent. Wellington finished the season with 1,021 points and is now 10th all-time in scoring in the Mercy record books. Flowers led the team in rebounding with 7.4 per game and in steals with 66, which was good for 11th in the nation with 2.6 per game.
Justin McMullen (Brooklyn, NY) was a key member of the Mavericks coming off the bench, as was Jimmy Gunville (Raynham, MA) who made many big three-pointers. Freshmen Ed Wilson (Bronx, NY) and Orlando Daniel (Bridgeport, CT) provided an extra spark as well.
Staffiere's first year at the helm marked a three-win improvement and has many of the vital pieces in place for next season.
"I think the group we have coming back is actually better suited to run our system, and will feature some of the better three-point shooters in the conference," Staffiere said. "We will be small again, but I think we are faster in transition and this should allow us to run a lot more than we did this past season."
